Torn in Two
by Continental Drifter
Summary: When Diego is reunited with a long lost best friend, he realises that he has different feelings for her than when they were playful kids. Does she return the same? Can Diego decide if he wants to go with his family, or stay with the herd? Enjoy it.
1. Unexpected Ephiphany

TORN IN TWO

'So, Diego,' Sid said casually one evening.

'Hold up,' Diego interrupted swiftly. 'Do not ask about my health, my family, my past or anything to do with me.'

Sid placed a stick beside a large rock and sat down, frowning in frustration. 'That's not fair,' he complained. 'That means I can't ask anything. Oh well, I'll just ask it anyway. You know, I never see you with girls. Tell me, where you the lady charmer back in the _old days_? I know I definitely was.'

Diego scoffed in disbelief and turned away from Sid to rest for the night. He never liked discussing private information. He rarely did as well, and he would never discuss those things with Sid. The sloth groaned in irritation and snapped he collected. Sid lay down on the rock, facing Diego's turned head.

'C'mon, Diego, please,' Sid begged. He attempted to look cute and starry-eyed as Diego turned back to face Sid. But Diego got the fright of his life when he saw Sid's disgusting attempt.

'Cut that out, Sid, it looks horrifying,' Manny advised, walking in the cave they were resting in.

'Not a good impression on the _ladies_,' Diego taunted sneakily.

Manny scoffed a laugh and lay down to sleep. Sid gave a loud, noisy yawn and said a muffled 'goodnight' and immediately started to snore. Diego kept awake, his glowing green eyes illuminating the dark around him. He couldn't help thinking about what Sid asked him. It simply brought back memories of the past, which he refused to think about AND abandoned Sid to ask of. Then, it occurred to him. How long had it been since he played with her?

He remembered Saryx, the fun and cheerful sabre-toothed-tiger he grew up with. She was so fun, delightful and always made Diego better. But when the unexpected landslide occurred, Diego was separated from his family. He didn't know if they survived either. And he could vaguely remember Saryx crying and calling out his name.

They were only very small cubs then. She wondered what Saryx would be like now. Would she be the same tiger he used to have fun playing with in the snow? Or would she have changed since Diego was gone? He sighed and tried to sleep.

Only two hours later, he woke up, yet again. He really had to admit it to himself. Diego just simply could sleep thanks to all the memories that Sid had innocently asked about. He had woken up because of a flashback of the landslide. They were sleeping with their parents in a cave and a loud crashing occurred. Everybody woke up, and Diego saw the land cracking in half. His mother was screaming at everybody to jump. Everybody jumped, and as Diego tried to jump, the land beneath him cracked and he back off quickly.

'Diego!' his mother had cried and Saryx attempted to run to him, but her mother pulled her back.

Diego, small and afraid, whimpered in fright. He looked around frantically, searching for help. He stopped when he felt a cold paw on his shoulder. He looked up and saw a very wicked-looking sabre-toothed-tiger. He had a smirk drawn on his face and looked very strong.

'Hello there, little sabre,' the male sneered coldly. 'I'll help you get you back to your Mama.'

Diego was young then, naive and helpless. His eyes brightened up when he heard that he was going to be helped by this sabre. He looked up at his mother and grinned. But now that he recalled the memory, he realised that his mother's face was pale and anxious. If only he realised that before. Soto never helped him.

Diego stood up and walked out the cave into the fresh cold night air. He walked around, over the snow and saw a small rabbit bouncing on the snow. Instinctively, he crouched lower and inched forward.

One…two…

THREE!

Diego leapt forwards and the rabbit got away too quickly, but he seemed to have gotten something else. He started to tackle the creature he caught, and it was by far larger than a rabbit. It was struggling hard and he finally got onto it. He gave a threatening roar and pushed it down with a thud.

Oh no. That couldn't possibly be a sabre, could it? Oh no. It was a sabre. He hoped it wasn't from Soto's pack, coming to chase after him and vow revenge. Oh…

What? This wasn't a male. He looked down at the sabre that was wriggling under him. It was a female. Oh, golly. He'd caught a female sabre. How embarrassing. He didn't know what to do. He hadn't met a female sabre in years. He didn't know whether to apologise and leave, or threaten her to get lost.

He didn't do either. He got up and said nothing.

After a very awkward pause, he tried to say something. 'S-s-s-sorry…' he stammered anxiously and went to leave, back to the cave, but the female blocked his way out.

'It's you,' she gasped, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling with disbelief. 'Oh my goodness, it's you!'

Diego didn't know what to do. They were females, and they liked leaving surprises until later. He awkwardly got up again and tried to leave. She blocked his way off again and again. Diego would've snarled if she was a male, but females didn't respond well to snarling males. He attempted once more and she blocked him off. He cleared his throat and was about to ask politely for her to move, but in a flash, she pushed him to the ground. This was unexpected.

Her eyes suddenly started welling up with tears. Awkward. Diego was getting stressed out now. He really didn't understand what the female sabre was doing, examining him by blocking his way off and pushing him down. Immediately, once the female got to her senses, she got off him and grinned. He hoped she would explain the mistaken identity incident that had just occurred for the past twenty minutes. To his shock and dismay, she did not.

'D-D-D-Diego!' she gasped. 'I can't believe I found you!'

Tears began escaping her eyes and Diego had a real urge to bolt away from the awkward, secretive, crying feline. He obviously didn't do remarkably well when around females. He didn't try to do anything, but sit there, dazed, and stare.

The feline began to circle Diego, as if he were under inspection once again. 'It really is you, isn't it? Oh, what will my family say? What will mother say? You're alive!'

Diego couldn't take the suspense anymore. 'I apologise for breaking your sudden epiphany and forgetting to address that I was, whom you clearly know for some odd reason, but may I inquire of _who you are_?'

The feline grinned, daringly, and her eyes glittered with a spark of mischief.

'It's me, Sayrx.'


	2. Explanations

TORN IN TWO

This was insane. At least, an hour ago, Sid had made him remember Saryx and here she was, as shocked as he was. As he realised it was definitely her, Diego began to realise that there was a lot of the young baby Saryx in this adult feline.

'You…don't remember me?' Saryx questioned, an eyebrow raised with suspicion.

Diego didn't say anything. He was baffled to have met a long lost friend of one he knew so long ago. She was probably the only friend he ever had before the herd. And she was the only one to have known him best, personally.

'You must see the others,' she insisted, caring nothing about his blank reply. 'They will be so pleased!'

She started to walk along the track and Diego had to follow quickly because the night was darkening. He stood up, almost brain-washed, and proceeded to follow Saryx into the grassy plain. He followed her slim, golden body until she stopped at a clearing.

'Wait here, okay?' she ordered, and slipped inside.

Diego waited until Saryx came back out again. 'C'mon in,' she said eagerly. 'Everybody's so excited!'

Diego was anxious. He had been separated from his family for a long time and barely recalled them. He could only remember the landslide, the most tragic event that had ever occurred to him. Diego stood up and nervously entered into the clearing space, Saryx following closely behind him.

An explosion of murmurs and gasps flew up suddenly from the other sabres he was near. He looked around quickly and could recall a couple faces, but other than that, they were strangers. Saryx walked away from Diego quickly. She returned with Tajari.

'Diego,' the aged sabre-toothed-tiger gasped. She walked slowly towards him and stared in bewilderment. 'It is really you.'

Diego couldn't believe it either. 'Mother!' he exclaimed in shock. It was so long ago that he had seen his Mother and he could only recall her as young and cheerful. Tears welled up in his mother's hazel eyes.

'What happened?' she asked sadly. 'What did Soto do to you?'

Diego stared into her soaking eyes. 'A lot happened,' he replied, honestly. Then, looking around at the intent sabres, he suggested they spoke somewhere else, in private.

They walked together to a grassy area, looking up at the stars. Tajari was weeping now, and Diego couldn't make out if it was sadness or happiness. He looked down at the grassy plains, so stunned at the sudden reunion he was bombarded with.

'I had a flashback, Mum,' Diego said, gulping at the last word. He hadn't said that word for a long time. 'I remember the landslide…and Soto…'

Tajari looked up. Her eyes stiffened at the name. 'What did he do to you, Diego? He was a cruel male. He used death and violence as role models. He…' she went on, and she suddenly went cold. 'He killed your father.'

Diego's green eyes opened wide. 'He _what_?' Diego cried out. 'But did he know my father? I barely knew him! How did you know him before too?'

Tajari looked into her son's eyes deeply. 'You are a handsome young man now, Diego. I must tell you of your past, one of which you never knew,' she said. 'Your father was a wonderful man. He never attacked for pointless reasons and he protected his pack very well. He loved you too, Diego, and was so proud of you.

'But one tragic night, one of our females went missing. It was a stormy night, and everybody was frightened that she was dead. But it turned out that Soto's pack was starving, so they decided to kill one of our pack members for food. Your father searched for her, and found her, thankfully still alive and well, but frightened. Then, unfortunately, he had agreed to fight for the pack. He said that if he won the fight, Soto would never disturb the pack again. But if Soto won, he could share the hunting boundaries. It was so very noble, since neither would get the poor female that was kidnapped. So the fight began, and your father was very strong, so he would have killed Soto first, or made him surrender.

'This is the part, which I truly despise of. Soto cheated, and assembled the rest of the pack to attack at different corners. Your father had no escape…and he died.'

Diego looked down at the ground, sadly. It was all Soto's fault. Everything was. Soto had made Diego into one his kind and treated him with no respect. And he was the one that was a cheat, and killed Diego's own father.

'Soto is dead now,' Diego said quietly. 'A good friend of mine killed him for defence. You see, I was supposed to get a human baby for food, but I met these two animals and I tricked them to come with me with the baby. It was under Soto's command. But after a while of travelling, I didn't want them to go into the trap. If they did, they would all become food. So, I protected them. But it cost a life too. And just as Soto was trying to take my friend down, he got distracted by the baby, and it got him killed.'

Tajari's eyes flickered with excitement. 'There are more? You have a pack of your own?'

Diego glanced down nervously. 'T-t-they might not be your type…' he stammered.

'Oh, but if they saved you, we must meet them!' Tajari insisted eagerly, clueless.

'Mum, they're not a real herd. There's a sloth, three mammoths and two possums!' he blurted out quickly. He sighed and tried avoiding his mother's amazed expression. 'But you know, they're really nice; they make me feel like I belong, even though we're a wacky herd…'

'Tajari! We need you!' a voice called.

Tajari glanced behind and looked at her son proudly. 'Diego,' she said. 'I am very proud of you. And,' she added. 'I'm proud that you have found good citizens.'

With that, she wandered away to the clearing. Diego felt something blossoming happily inside him. This was great. Everything was going very well. He knew who he was, his family and he found himself where things would be right.

Diego was about to go to the clearing as well, but decided to stay awhile and just think about what had happened so far, so his own mind could keep up with him. Just as he began to think, Saryx appeared beside him, smiling mischievously.

It had been so long since he'd played with Saryx, he didn't know how to talk to her, where to begin, and how to start up their friendship again. He smiled back at her.

'I've got to show you something,' Saryx said. 'Come with me.'


	3. True Love

**Hi everyone, just a note. This chapter took ages, and I'm really sorry for all those who got annoyed waiting. It's just that I didn't know how to write a good romance scene for Diego and Saryx. So, I watched Lion King a couple times, so it may be a little similar.**

**Enjoy.**

Diego followed Saryx, as she led him towards a sparkling forest. In the moonlight, it looked beautiful. The trees were snow tipped, and the pools were twinkling with diamonds. She stopped, and sat beside the pool quietly, looking up at the shooting stars.

'It's been so long,' Saryx said, quietly, looking down at the grassy floor. 'I can't believe I found you. We thought you had died…because of Soto.'

'Died?' Diego queried. 'I'm not dead.'

It sounded stupid to say. Well, duh! Of course he wasn't dead. Saryx smiled, gently, and Diego realised that she was very pretty underneath the starry sky.

'You know,' Diego said. 'I had a flashback before of what happened at the landslide. It was really nasty, and I remembered everyone, like you and Mum.'

Saryx smiled, and unexpectedly, she approached Diego and slipped her head underneath Diego's chin, rubbing herself against him. He sat there, awkwardly, wondering what you're meant to say at times like this. Girls were confusing.

'I've missed you, you know,' Saryx said quietly, her voice sounding like the dazzling of diamonds.

'Me too,' Diego managed to say.

Saryx left Diego's grasp, and he'd silently wished she'd stay a little longer. She was warm, and it was nice for him to be with his friend again.

He thought about that for a little while. Friend? She didn't feel like a friend to him anymore. Not that he didn't like her, but he didn't think of her as a playmate to hang out with all the time.

Diego followed Saryx, as she walked on. She stopped to look behind her shoulder a couple times, studying him carefully.

Diego followed, and soon, they entered an open field, and starting to sprint around the tall dry grass, chasing each other. It felt just like old times when Diego used to run around with Saryx to play.

They ran for a while, under the moon's gaze, and Diego stopped. He looked around the area they were now in, and he realised it was such a beautiful place. It was in an isolated forest, as silent as the sky, and the grass was fresh green. Rivers of reflections soothed through the forest.

'Pretty, isn't it?' Saryx said, sitting beside Diego. 'I-I used to come here before. It was quiet here, and I used to wait here… hoping you'd come or something.' She laughed, sadly, as if it was stupid. But Diego didn't think it was.

'And now that you're here,' Saryx said. 'It feels complete.'

Diego watched as Saryx gazed at him, her diamond-like blue eyes sparkling. She suddenly seemed anxious, and she quietly took a few steps towards him. A sweet night breeze fluttered by, with blue and black butterflies twinkling by. It seemed so perfect. The place, the association, the moment…

And the moment had just gotten better.

Saryx was finally close towards Diego, a millimetre away. She put her head underneath his chin, again, as she's done before and rested there for a long time. She closed her eyes, quietly, and she swore she could've stayed there for eternity, if a feeling wasn't there.

Saryx thought to herself silently as she rubbed herself around Diego. She had a feeling clinging to her, telling her to do something. She knew what she wanted to do, but she didn't how to do it. Diego was her _friend_, but she really felt different about him. She felt...

Love?

It was, and undoubtedly love it was. Saryx thought to herself. Mum always told me that love was a special thing, and it could never be missed, or the opportunity would vanish.

She let herself out of his grasp, and looked at him in the eyes. She was going to do it, but suddenly, she was in a trance, as she gazed in his hazel eyes. But the force inside her got stronger. It was too hard to avoid it now.

Saryx leant forward, and brushed her nose against his. He looked surprised, and he'd almost jumped back as she did it. There were no words involved. In times like this, words couldn't make anything better.

Suddenly, Diego's face broke out in a smile, and he returned her affection. Relief washed over Saryx. It wasn't awkward. The moment passed. She was finally breathing. Out of her excitement and happiness, she pinned Diego down onto the soft grass floor and sent him a soft, passionate lick across his face.

Wow. A warm heat grew inside her. She'd never realised this day would ever come. She found true love. Pure, happy love.

They spent the night there, underneath the starry sky, resting close to each other, giving occasional licks, and simply sitting there, gazing at the moonlight sky that seemed to tell them that the time was here.

And it sure was.

Love was what it brought them.


End file.
